The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-03
DRILLING FOR NATURAL GAS
Suggestions by Mr.. Maurice Thompson
About Prospecting Operations.
lie Points Ont Some of the Things that Have
Been Learned in the Search for the
Much-Sought Fuel.

under the surface of the earth did not sup
/ pose this would be controverted at all, and. il
/ fact, it has been controverted by any
| having any comprehensive knowledge of natural
| science. There is sea. gulf estuary, lake
or pond in the world, dare say, whose bottom is
absolutely level. The soundings of the Atlantic
+! and Pacific oceans and those of the
| Gulf of Mexico show almost every posi-
| BILE variations between extremes of shall
| lowness and depth. Every limestone
stratum marks the bed of old sea, and the
| Trenton limestone is not an exception. 1t is a
| sedimentary rock whose fossil remains show it
to be of deep-sea origin. Popularity speaking,
it is the accumulation of matter at the bottom
! of an ancient ocean Like nearly all limestones,
| it shows in its composition that the shells of
many varieties of marine animals constitute
large part of its bulk either in preserved state
or decomposed. So far as have yet been able
| to test it, it has proved to be what is called
magnetism limestone. which means that it con-
| tains a large per cent of the carbonate of mag
nesia. 1t is very thick deposit, and is. there
fore. probably the result of long ages OF sedi-
mentation Any mind can comprehend
that such deposit would not be uniform; that
it would be subject to infinite accident, to the
habits of the animals whose shells furnished its
lime. and to the laws governing the tides, the
winds and the currents of the in which it
was formed. Every naturalist of wide observa-
ton has noted that in any body of water the
animal life is more or less crowded in TO special
areas, with intermediate spaces scarcely inhab-
tied at all. This rule applies not only to the
larger organisms. but to the nfntesimal forms
WELL From banks of oyster shells down to
the diatomaceous and foraueniferous deposits it
is easy to see how the bed of any body
water may vary in super icial elevation
count of irregular deposition referable to fixed
natural causes In the Atlantic and in
|. all the smaller bodies of comparatively still
water of which have any knowledge, this ir-
regular sedimentation is now going Even
in of the little lakelets of northern Indi-
ana the deposition of carbonate of lime is OBJ
servable and quite variable in thickness. The
Southern lakes of continent have very ir-
regular bottoms, and the Gulf of Mexico is q
noticeable instance of a bottom running the
gamut of variation These facts in connection
with the laws apparently governing the dis
position of the Paeozoic rocks have made it
clear that a few feet of difference IN
level between the points where Trenton
limestone is touched by the drill dozen miles
apart cannot be relied upon indicating fold
structure in that deposit. Sue. difference of
level in the surface OF Trenton limestone may
suggest fold. but 1t cannot prove it. The bot
tom of Lake Maxinkuckee varies thirty-one feet
between points eighty yards apart. Does this
indicate unheaval Well, the surface of the
Trenton limestone is the bottom of an ancient
sea- and slight superficial inequalities do not
necessarily prove upheaval, any more than the
Inequalities in the bottom of Maxinkuckee ind-
cate upheaval. 1t is only when the differ
ences in level are of an unmistakable
unsafe, not to say visionary, to base descriptions
of the structural features of deeplying rocks
upon very slight superficial differences of level
as indicated by the drill. Such evidence, taken
by itself. unsupported by any visible proof is of
small value.
II have never heard it claimed by any, even
the street-corner scientists. that the coa-meas
ures of Indiana upheaved, and vet any !
stratum of the whole formation varies in level as
much as does the Trenton limestone. Take the 4
oolitc formation of the St. Louis group in
Indiana and who will claim that it is
upheaved2 And yet the surface of the
oolitc limestone is erratic whom referred
to sea-level. that of the Trenton. If 1 were
speaking here for the benefit of learned
lists, / should not thus reassert what is so vel,
known; but there are just now two self
styled. self-constituted scientists in Indiana who
as is always the case with pretenders, at
tempting to gain in some way by bold assertion
of peculiar knowledge, and thus misleading
the people and causing the expenditure of vast
amounts of money Nothing is more natural
than that the people, interested and excited as
they now are. should be easily misled by the as
Stunning charlatan in science, who swings him
self into notice by hanging at the coat-tail of
some we'll known and reputable scientific per-
sonage. That there is irregular line of
disturbance of the Silurian rocks running
across Indiana from Ohio to Illinois there can be
no doubt whatever. but this disturbance was not
disclosed by the drill. 1t was discovered by me
and disclosed by careful and scientific survey
long before gas drilling began in this State and
was traced and described by Professor Gorby
in the last State geological report That the ex-
istence of natural gas in paying quantity in the
Trenton lines tone due to ths disturbance
there can be little room for doubt; but the an
ticliual theory is pushed extreme little
short of ridiculous by those who locate their
anticlines and syncnes according to slight differ
ences of level Indicated by the drill in touch
ing the Trenton limestone
1.-The drill is q safe enough guide, when as in
certain instances in Ohio described by Prof
Orion, the surface of the stratum in question is
shown to drop some hundred or more feet with
in very short distance, but the nice locating of
folds by boring here and there some miles
apart and with but few feet difference in level
is simply trifiing, and unworthy of passing
notice.
interested in the discovery of petroleum and nat
ural gas in Indiana lay to heart a few strong
probabilities the sooner will they begin act
upon safe principles. III Discard the thought
that gas and oil run in belts and quit assuming
that boring in the line of two productive points
will locate a third productive point These
assumptions faacies. (2) Remember
that the Wabash river. from near Huntington to
some point near Delphi, perhaps near Lafayette,
marks in a general way fissure cleft in the
Paleozic strata rather SCATTERING of those
strata near the crest and along the arm of a low
wide fold, and that along lateral projections of
this fold gas in paying quantities may be looked
for and with chance exceptiols) nowhere else.
(3l That the Trenton limestone. if porous may
contain large accumulations of gas even where
there is no structural fold whilst the other
hand the same stratum. equally porous, may not
hold foot OF gas, though the apex of an
apticline-a1l this referabe to the fact that
limestone is variable. aud therefore. may have
porous surrounded by impervious
oneS-aDu the converse IA mat when the
drill in reaching the top of the Trenton lime
stone at point indicates certain departure
from sea-level, and at another point ten miles
away it indicates difference of ten twenty
feet in this departure, this fact alone does not
prove structural disturbance but may be the
exponent of variations il the mass of the de-
post. (5.l That in Indiana subsistence has
followed upheaval, ana the Paeozoc strata
affected thereby have been greatly crushed and
shattered. Therefore, slight faults and peculiar
terraces. like those described by Professor
Orion in Ohio may be expected. TO- That no
man, matter how great his scientific attain
ments, can foresee just where gas will or Will
rot be reached by drilling.
Science is the wisdom of facts, and 1t does
not deal in prophecy, nor does it assume to see
through millstones What the drill is doing for
MS now is not the locating of folds 1t is con-
frmine the order of the Paleozoic strata and Civ